1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for estimating a greenhouse gas emission from a ruminant in a loose housing environment, and in a predetermined time period from T0 to Tdesired, and to a greenhouse gas emission estimation device for estimating a greenhouse gas emission from a ruminant, according to said method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Enhanced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are deemed to be a cause of an enhanced greenhouse effect. Emissions by dairy animals are believed to contribute a large part of the enhanced greenhouse gas emissions, not only via manure but also, and believed mainly, via eructation of methane. Therefore, it is important to know the emission of such greenhouse gases in dairy animals, for knowing the emissions is a necessary first step of controlling and reducing such emissions.
In the art, significant research has been conducted to try and determine the GHG emission of individual dairy animals in a controlled environment, such as completely sealed cabins, in which the complete emission of the animal could be measured and analyzed. However, in a normal dairy environment, useful models are scarce and mainly indirect such as through fatty acid profiles from milk.